Appearing at the annual Rally for Life event at the Capitol, Branstad expressed his gratitude for what’s already been done by anti-abortion activists.

“Thank you for being part of the pro-life cause,” he said. “Thank you for the job that you’re doing in educating and getting more people involved in understanding how significant and how important human life is.”

Branstad said he’s encouraged by recent legislation that would ban the remote distribution of abortion pills in Iowa, a bill he said he believes will improve the standard of care for women across the state.

“We think this is the least we can do to protect them,” he said.

The bill won approval in the Republican-majority House, but it’s not expected to advance further in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

A Planned Parenthood of the Heartland spokesperson declined to comment about the rally.

The rally was part of a daylong event geared toward different forms of anti-abortion education. Keynote speaker Wesley Smith of the Discovery Institute spoke out against assisted suicide in the United States, a practice he said is becoming prevalent in countries around the world.